Review: Samsung Galaxy Exhibit for T-Mobile

The Exhibit has a 3.8-inch LCD screen with 800 x 480 pixels. It doesn't hold a candle to the larger screens of devices such as the Galaxy S4 or Note 2, but it isn't meant to. The screen is one of the reasons the Exhibit is so inexpensive. The smaller screen size does makes up for the lack of pixels a bit. Individual pixels can only be spied if the Exhibit is held several inches from your eyes. Otherwise, on-screen elements such as text and icons look smooth and free of rough edges. The screen is plenty bright when viewed head-on, but viewing angles aren't great.

Signal

The Exhibit did well on T-Mobile's network. It was consistent at connecting to T-Mobile's HSPA+ network no matter where I took it in the NJ/NYC area. I connected phone calls on the first dial, and the Exhibit didn't drop any calls even when in weak coverage areas. The Exhibit is limited to HSPA+ and doesn't support T-Mobile's LTE network. On HSPA+, data speeds were so-so at best, with a peak download of just 9.8 Mbps and an average closer to 6 Mbps.

Sound

The Exhibit is a fine voice phone. Calls were free of static or other interference, and voices had a pleasing tone to them. It helps that the earpiece also produces good volumes. It's not extra-killer loud, but it is loud enough that you'll be able to hear calls in noisy coffee shops or walking city streets. The speakerphone sounded a bit more garbled in my tests and it didn't offer quite the same tone that the earpiece did. The volume was decent, though, especially if the "Extra Volume" feature is turned on. Outgoing sound was good; those with whom I spoke said they could hear me clearly. Ringers and alerts were loud and clear, and the vibrate alert did an excellent job of getting my attention.

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Battery

The Exhibit has a 1,500 mAh battery and it provides plenty of power to keep the device active throughout a full day. The smaller, low-res screen and low-power processor help keep power requirements down, and the Exhibit 's battery was well suited to the device's needs. The Exhibit had no trouble maintaining a charge from sunup to sundown, despite heavy use. Charging it each night will be more than sufficient for most users.